More than 6,500 Citizens Participate
Transformed into a Playground for Books
Kang Kijeong, mayor of Gwangju, attended the 13th Library Culture Yard held on the afternoon of the 5th at the City Hall Citizen Hall and outdoor plaza, touring experience booths and encouraging officials. Provided by Gwangju City
With the recent Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to author Han Kang, interest in reading has surged, and Gwangju's representative reading festival, the 13th Library Culture Madang, held at Gwangju City Hall, successfully concluded with great popularity.
The cafe-style open cultural space was transformed into a playground for books, offering a variety of reading-related events such as conversations with authors, bookmark-making, and a market featuring independent bookstores and publishers, attracting citizens amid the ongoing "Text Hip" trend.
This year's event, themed "Literature is Coming," was jointly hosted by Gwangju City and the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education on the 1st floor of City Hall and the outdoor plaza on the 5th. A total of 56 organizations participated, including public and small libraries, university libraries, braille libraries, reading groups, local bookstores, and publishers.
Over 6,500 citizens, including Mayor Kang Gijung, attended the event. Mayor Kang joined citizens in the reading lounge to read books and participate in book-themed craft activities.
Various reading culture experiences were offered under the theme of literature, such as making cotton fabric books, resin art bookmarks, and drawing book covers. There were also book talks with authors, magic shows, and a variety of interactive lectures and performances for the audience.
The citizen lounge on the first floor of City Hall was set up as a reading shelter, where visitors could comfortably read works by Han Kang, previous Nobel Prize in Literature winners, and more while relaxing on beanbags and camping chairs. The book market corner, in particular, drew attention by showcasing publications and goods from local independent bookstores and publishers.
A citizen who participated in the event said, "It was wonderful to enjoy the spring of April together with books. I was especially satisfied because there were so many experiences, relaxation areas, lectures, and performances that the whole family could enjoy together. I want to participate again next year."
Mayor Kang stated, "Since Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature, citizens' passion for reading has grown even stronger. Gwangju City will continue to take steps toward becoming a 'city of humanities that reads' through various reading events and policies."
Meanwhile, following former President Kim Daejung's Nobel Peace Prize and Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature, Gwangju is strengthening its unique "Nobel Prize City" brand. The city is also working to restore citizens' reading culture and build an ecosystem for authors, publishers, and bookstores by promoting initiatives such as the "one book per citizen per year" campaign, revitalizing local bookstores, and constructing representative libraries in each district, thereby connecting authors, publishers, libraries, local bookstores, and readers into a vibrant book ecosystem.
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